The present invention relates to an apparatus for the slicing of products, especially bakery products such as rolls, sandwich buns and the like.
The hand slicing of bakery products such as rolls or buns for sandwiches is a time consuming and tedious process. It is also very difficult to achieve a uniform cut by hand and if the item to be sliced comprises a relatively delicate bakery product such as a croissant or crescent shaped roll, it is even more difficult to cut these without damage to the shape or appearance of the roll. Furthermore, the hand slicing of items usually entails a certain amount of risk of injury to the user and it would therefore be desirable to have an apparatus in which the user can place the item to be sliced and use a knife or slicer to cut the item into uniform slices without risk of injury.
Different types of equipment have been proposed in which the roll or item to be sliced is held in a fixed position for hand slicing by the user. Most of this equipment includes a channel for accepting a knife or slicer blade to permit the passage of the knife through the roll when it is held or anchored in a fixed position. Such an apparatus provides a means for the consistent and uniform slicing of rolls and other bakery products without risk of injury to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,989 for example describes an apparatus in which a roll is held in a fixed position between two plates for slicing. A channel between the two plates is provided for passage of a knife blade through the roll which is held in a fixed position. Movement of one of the plates is achieved by the use of a handle which causes one of the plates to move towards the second plate thereby positioning the roll for cutting by a knife in the provided channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,445 also describes a food slicing apparatus which includes a cutting board, a pair of laterally spaced side walls with a guide slot for a knife, and two opposing surfaces to brace the item to be sliced in relationship to the guide slot. While these particular types of apparatus do improve the safety factor, they are not totally suitable for certain types of items to be sliced, particularly relatively delicate bakery products such as a croissant.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a slicing apparatus which may be used for bakery goods that provides uniform slicing of the product and provides safety to the user.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a slicing apparatus which permits the slicing of relatively delicate bakery products such as croissants or rolls in which the uniform slicing of the roll is achieved without damage of the appearance or shape of the roll.
These and other objects are achieved pursuant to the present invention which is hereinafter described in detail.